Chapter 8 #2
Belatedly I remembered my manners. “Let me introduce you two. Jo Jo, this is Jasha. Jasha, Jo Jo.”
They shook hands, then Jo Jo was insane enough to lift a hand closer to the cat’s nose so she could sniff him. She chose to rub her pink snout against his hand instead.
“Aww, you’re just a big lovebug, yes you are.”
Yes, Jo Jo made kissy noises. Yes, he had no shame.
Knowing if I didn’t derail him we’d be here all day, I poked him in the shoulder. “Sword first, kitty later.”
He made a face, clearly disgusted by my mixed-up priorities, but I stuck my tongue out in return.
“Fine, fine, sword first.” He glanced through the open back door and—kitty seemingly forgotten—strode past Jasha and into the back room. “Oh, I see it on the shelf. Wow. Zhen, you said this is a Viking sword? It’s in amazing condition.”
Jo Jo pulled on a protective glove and picked up the sword, swinging it about before placing it on the table.
He looked the weapon over, eyes shining like the little kid he was.
“It’s so pweeety. The pictures didn’t do it justice.
Wow, it’s in incredible shape for its age. Did anyone do restoration work?”
Jasha spoke up as he closed the back door. “Replaced the leather on the handle, that was about it.”
“Wow! Man, I’m so jealous, I’ll be mistaken for Kermit the Frog soon. Now, let’s see what’s under this seal.” He removed the talisman I’d placed on it yesterday so he could see the full energy of the sword.
The curse was gnarly. I knew what it looked like so braced myself.
Thick strands of red and black energy wrapped around the sword like it was trying to consume it.
Each strand was imbued with the sensation of being pricked by hundreds of thorns—the caster had been feeling really petty—which made holding the sword very uncomfortable.
The second Jo Jo removed the seal, we had a Not Happy kitty on our hands.
The ocelot hissed, jumping down from Jasha’s arms to stand guard in front of him, fangs bared and hackles raised. Not gonna lie, it was kinda comical watching an overgrown house cat protect a veritable giant, one who regularly hit the gym.
“Welp.” I observed the cat for a moment, glancing between it and the sword. “This explains why your familiar came in.”
“I’ll say.” Jasha stared down at his familiar with starry eyes. “Aww, I feel really loved right now. You’re in the doghouse, though, Jo Jo.”
“Yeah, she ain’t too happy I took the protections off, is she?
Sorry, baby girl, I gotta see the energies properly and, wowza, this curse is something else.
I’m amazed all it’s done is rattle things off shelves.
And not, like, level this building.” Despite saying that, Jo Jo looked the sword over from hilt to tip and back again, his face scant inches from the blade. “This is…not an ancient curse.”
I let out a long breath in relief. “Thank fuck.”
Jasha lifted a hand. “Explain to the newbie, please.”
“Ancient curses tend to be absolutely awful to break,” I explained.
“Mostly because the only reason they exist that long is if they’re tied into a solid power source and can keep going.
It makes things tricky to undo. In fact, that’s how we met—Jo Jo’s parents came across an ancient curse, needed help undoing it, and called on my family.
The Ramshaws are the curse experts, but they needed more firepower, so to speak. ”
“What does your family specialize in, anyway?”
“Bonk!” I punched the air, grinning.
Jo Jo sang the rest of the totally made-up song. “Spirit bonk~ Spirit bonk~”
“Literally our job description. Anyway, the Ramshaws needed more people to handle the problem, and we’re always coming to each other’s aid anyway, so we went down to Florida to help. As a kid, I didn’t understand the full situation, just that I got a friend out of the deal.”
Jo Jo winked. “That we did. Anyway, this curse isn’t old.
Maybe, hm, twenty years or so? And it smacks of jealousy.
Like someone wanted this sword and couldn’t have it, so they cursed it instead.
That’s the kind of vibe I get. I think the curse was meant to harm whoever owned the sword, but since the sword was forged to protect, the intention remained in the metal.
So the curse didn’t really do as intended. ”
I stared at the weapon as a few pieces of the puzzle spun and fell into place. “That makes a lot of sense. I couldn’t figure out why the sword’s energy was so intense but not actually doing much harm.”
“That’d be why. Whoever forged it must have been a master, I tell ya. Damn shame I can’t meet them and buy them a beer. So…uh, I’m going to need more than a day to undo the curse. It’s twenty years old, after all. If I don’t approach it right, I might damage the sword.”
Jasha’s voice rose with alarm. “Please don’t do that!”
Baby ocelot growled again and edged closer, like she was tempted to bite the sword. I couldn’t imagine how bite-bite would go well.
“Don’t want to, trust me, it would be a crying shame. That said, I want to study the curse for a while. Zhen, you got a warded room?”
I splayed my hands in a shrug. “Not as such, but I’ve got a storage room in my workshop you can put a ward down in.”
“Man, why you ain’t got a warded room?” Jo Jo stared at me, disappointed.
“Because I kill the cursed things, Jo Jo. I don’t take them home with me.”
He froze then snorted. “Yeah, fine, fair enough. I’ll make do, then. You okay with me taking the sword, Jasha?”
“Yeah, just please don’t damage it.”
“I’ll do my level best, promise.” He opened his suitcase and took out a natural fiber cloth bag covered in bright red ward seals. The seals were actually embroidered into the cloth, and I immediately recognized Meemaw’s handiwork.
Ooh, if she still made warded bags, maybe I could get one commissioned. Mine was in rough shape and nowhere as good as what she’d make. A thought to follow up on later.
Jo Jo slipped the sword into the bag, latched it shut, and all ominous energy abruptly ceased. The ocelot stopped snarling at the sword, calming down by degrees. She seemed to forgive Jo Jo since he’d made the bad energy go away again, because she once again let out a growly purr.
“I’m definitely calling Meemaw,” Jo Jo muttered as he packed things back up. “She’ll want to see it herself, for one. The sword, I mean, obviously not the curse.”
I tried to keep Jasha in the loop. “Meemaw is Jo Jo’s grandmother but also teacher.
She was a force to be reckoned with up until retirement and had a gold mine of knowledge on seals.
Plus, she’s bored and loves situations where she can apply her knowledge and experience. She’s the perfect person to ask.”
“Sounds like it,” he agreed. “Um, is she the one who made the bag?”
“She is indeed and, Jo Jo? If she can still make those, I want one.”
“Oh, she’s been making them and selling them on the side. Keeps joking it’s a side hustle for her funeral costs.” Jo Jo rolled his eyes. “Like she’ll die before she hits a hundred. Pure obstinacy will keep her living. If you call her and bat your eyelashes, she’ll likely make you one for free.”
“I mean, I’m happy to pay her.”
“Like she’ll take your money, you dumbass.”
Man made a good point. From the beginning, Meemaw had adopted me as one of her own. “I’ll call her later, then.”
“Jasha, you got any water-soluble paint? Zhen’ll have a heart attack if I leave permanent paint on his newly poured floor.”
“You bet your ass I will.”
Jasha grinned and offered, “Sure, I’ve got a whole selection. What color?”
“Color I do not care about, I just need like a gallon. It can be mixed colors, in fact, if you don’t have enough of the one.”
“I thought it would need to be red?”
“Why, ’cause of movies and shit? Naw, they do red ’cause it’s more dramatic looking on film.”
They went off to the shelves up front, Jasha offering options, which left me alone with the large kitty.
She eyed me.
I eyed her.
“We gonna be friends?”
She sniffed my hand, then pushed her nose under it. Aw, she was a sweetheart. Absolutely the opposite of what her breed should be, according to Google, but I was relieved. Having a territorial predator in a crowded city would not have been a good thing.
Usually my downtime was used to make gear, repair gear, or work out. I’d never thought I’d be using so much time helping Jasha, but he was a friend, and honestly? There were worse uses of my time.
If we were really, really lucky, I’d have Jasha’s situation more or less sorted out before the next big emergency hit us.
Maybe I should knock on wood when I think things like that.